Benefits of the Bank of America Travel Rewards Card

Perks include solid, straightforward rewards, versatile redemption options and travel-friendly features, all for no annual fee.
Claire Tsosie
By Claire Tsosie 
Updated
Edited by Kenley Young

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For frugal travelers, the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card is a perfect choice.

Bank of America Travel Rewards® Credit Card
NerdWallet rating 

It charges an annual fee of $0 and features flexible, easy-to-redeem rewards.

Here’s what to know about its benefits.

No annual fee

Right away, the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card's annual fee of $0 sets it apart from other travel credit cards and makes it an excellent pick for budget-minded travelers. Even if you don’t spend much on this card, you’ll come out ahead in rewards as long as you don't carry a balance from month to month.

Versatile rewards

Earning and redeeming points is simple on this card. You earn a flat 1.5 points per dollar spent on all purchases. Points can be redeemed as a statement credit toward a broad range of travel expenses, such as airline tickets, hotel stays, amusement park entry fees, RV rentals and more. General travel cards from other issuers tend to have narrower definitions of "travel," often leaving cardholders with fewer options when redeeming rewards. You can also redeem points for restaurant purchases.

Redemptions start at just 2,500 points, so you don’t have to make a big purchase to cash in rewards. Points are worth 1 cent apiece when redeemed for travel.

Sign-up bonus

Like any good travel credit card, the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card starts you off with a sign-up bonus: 25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening - that can be a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases..

For a $0-annual-fee card, that’s an excellent offer. The reasonable spending requirement makes it relatively easy to nab, too.

Preferred Rewards

This straightforward card gets far more exciting if you keep a lot of money in Bank of America® or Merrill accounts. That’s because if you qualify for the bank’s Preferred Rewards program — by maintaining combined balances of $20,000 or more among eligible accounts — you can earn a higher rewards rate on this card (and all eligible Bank of America® credit cards), along with other benefits.

With combined balances of over $100,000, for example, you could earn 2.62 points per dollar spent on this card, according to the bank. Remember, you have to be enrolled in the Preferred Rewards program to get that boost.

No foreign transaction fees

This card charges no foreign transaction fees, so you won't have to deal with any annoying 3% charges while making purchases outside the U.S. That benefit, combined with the card's other budget-friendly features, regularly earns it a spot on our list of Best No Foreign Transaction Fee Credit Cards.

0% intro APR offer

The Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card is one of the few travel cards that features a generous 0% APR period: It boasts 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases, and for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days. After the Intro APR offer ends, a Variable APR that’s currently 18.24% - 28.24% will apply. That can come in handy if you book a trip using the card and want to pay it off over a few months, instead of all at once. And while you’re floating that balance interest-free, you can score that sign-up bonus.

More about the card

Travel Cards from Our Partners
Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card

on Chase's website

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
5.0
NerdWallet Rating
Rewards rate

1x-5x

5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases.

Points

Intro offer

60,000

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

Points
Chase Freedom Unlimited Credit Card

on Chase's website

Chase Freedom Unlimited®
5.0
NerdWallet Rating
Rewards rate

1.5%-6.5%

Enjoy 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel; 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 3% on all other purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year). After your first year or $20,000 spent, enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.

Cashback

Intro offer

$300

Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

on Capital One's website

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
4.7
NerdWallet Rating
Rewards rate

2x-5x

Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day. Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options.

Miles

Intro offer

75,000

Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.

Miles
See more travel cards

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